Sean Kelly's Classics column: The alternative way to beat the big hitters, and why Lorena Wiebes is a master

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Sean Kelly

"King Kelly", the greatest Irish cyclist to have graced the peloton, brought the Emerald Isle to the fore alongside compatriot Stephen Roche in the 1980s. Points winner at the Tour de France four times, GC in the 1988 Vuelta, and a record-breaking seven consecutive wins at Paris-Nice feature during his glittering career – alongside double victories at Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

We're into the thick of things as far as the spring Classics are concerned, and Flemish Holy Week is already delivering. Over the last few days, E3 Saxo Classic and the newly renamed In Flanders Field – what used to be Gent-Wevelgem – both proved that Mathieu van der Poel isn't untouchable; you just have to play your cards right.

In a different vein, Lorena Wiebes reminded many, if it was even necessary, that even without a leadout or teammate in sight, she can dominate a sprint finish.

Before we get into Sunday's action, let's rewind to Friday and an almighty finale in E3. It was very nice to see that Van der Poel was catchable, not least because it made what would've otherwise been a textbook solo breakaway victory far more interesting. It's hard to say whether he was racing at his best or whether his Milan-San Remo crash was still affecting him.

The chase group of Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Per Strand Hagenes (Visma-Lease a Bike), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) and Stan Dewulf (Decathlon CMA CGM), who was the last survivor of the day's early break, worked incredibly well together, up to a point.

All their hard work was undone with 1500m remaining, and it's always the case. Who's going to close the final few metres? Because the rider who closes the gap is going to throw their own chance of winning by doing the work to bridge across.

It would be interesting to understand what Van der Poel was thinking at this point because he went to sit up and throw in the towel, only for the guys behind to start playing the game and looking at each other. I reckon he got a shout from the team car: 'OK, they're looking at each other, just go all out for it now and see what happens.'

Or perhaps when he looked around, he could see them spread across the road, all four of them waiting for the other to do a final pull. It's tricky in those situations because, regardless of how well the group works together to bring the time down, they will inevitably start to spare their own energy when they see that the catch is about to be made. The closer the group get, the less work each rider wants to do.

When you're in that situation, you have to play the game, as Vermeersch did, by throwing your hands in the air and shouting at the others, in the hope that someone will panic and ride through, but nobody did on this occasion, and Van der Poel was able to sneak away again.

Get your cards right, and the big hitters are beatable

Of course, 48 hours can change a lot when it comes to a minor injury like Van der Poel's, and from questioning his strength at E3, to watching him do what he does best at In Flanders Fields, full-on efforts for short periods on the bergs, like he's so used to doing through the winter cyclo-cross season.

Thankfully, though, someone else was able to follow his fiercest of attacks in the form of Wout van Aert. The Belgian is definitely coming good at the right time, which is pleasing because the Classics need riders of his calibre. If he's on a good day at the upcoming Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, he can be up there challenging against the top guys.

The last man this duo dropped on the final ascent of the Kemmelberg was Vermeersch, and as I also touched on in my earlier spring Classics column after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, he was, once again, far too generous with his turns. He was riding strongly before the Kemmelberg, but in this situation, with Van Aert and Van der Poel, he has to expect an explosive attack at any moment, and save his legs as much as possible in anticipation. He has to say to himself, 'Can I just stay with them over the last climb, then I'm with them in the final kilometres'.

OK, when you're in a group with the likes of Van Aert and Van der Poel, there is an element of respect, but when you're in the running for a one-day win in Flanders, you can throw that respect out of the window for a little while. He needs to skip turns or just go through very lightly; as we say in cycling terms, you have to just 'fall through'.

Once the duo were on their own, Van der Poel was taking his turns at first, but with 20km or so to go, he eased off. There was a little discussion there, and perhaps Van der Poel may have felt the fatigue coming on.

On the one hand, he wants to preserve his energy if they stay away, but on the other, he also has the luxury of Jasper Philipsen in the group behind; team-wise, it was the perfect scenario.

For Van Aert, it would have been disappointing to realise his hands were tied. However, Visma-Lease a Bike will take positives from this going into the second portion of the cobbled Classics, with Christophe Laporte also looking sharp in the sprint.

The Frenchman earned a nice podium spot, but Philipsen proved the fastest in the end, even if there was a moment where he looked boxed in. That's where the race situation will have benefited Alpecin-Premier Tech's sprinter. With Van der Poel up front for much of the day, it will have given him confidence and eased his workload, as it's not up to their team to bring the race back together.

Looking ahead, even though the favourites still came out on top at both E3 and In Flanders Fields, the races have shown rival teams that there's an alternative way to beat the big hitters. If the bunch or a chase group get organised behind, that catch is possible as the race enters its final stages. Of course, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are another step up, and you have the added complication of Tadej Pogačar thrown into the mix, too.

Wiebes can do it all

Lorena Wiebes is a master and put on another magnificent display yesterday.

The SD Worx-Protime sprinter found herself in a five-rider break after attacking on the Kemmelberg and put in several big efforts to close down counter-attacks.

She was fortunate that the gap back to the peloton was dwindling as the lead group reached the final kilometres, because it prevented any games from her breakaway companions. They had to ride, or risk missing out on a top-five finish altogether. If the pace had gone out of the chase altogether, it would have been fascinating to see the finale play out.

Even when UAE Team ADQ used their numerical advantage, Wiebes looked so in control and bridged across smartly. She didn't just immediately jump onto their wheel; instead, she rolled across at a steady pace. That's the perfect way to play it for someone like Wiebes, who is in such great shape and looked totally in control.

You couldn't fault UAE either; they played it almost perfectly, too, tactically speaking. Their only problem was that, when you're in a group with a top sprinter, you're not just thinking about winning, but also the podium, so they kept on riding, which played into Wiebes' hands.

They were forced to continue riding until they were absolutely certain that they wouldn't be caught, and by that point, it's too late to make your numbers count.

Lidl-Trek's youngster Fleur Moors nearly frightened Wiebes right on the line with a really fast finish, but when you're winning sprints like the Dutch woman is winning them, you know when you've done enough. She got a little surprise, but personally, I think the TV cameras and commentators made it look closer than it actually was.

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